Winograd; Washington Too Much for Kansas State as Contrabears Win Ozark Conference

Evan Winograd used the wind and teammate Joe MacDonald to huck and score Washington University’s way to victory over Kansas State in the Ozark Conference Tournament Championship, 12-9.

With the wind consistently blowing fifteen miles per hour, the Contrabears scored the first point downwind. The next point looked like Kansas State had answered with a downwind point of their own, but usually sure-handed Kansas State captain Pat Shriwise dropped the disc in the end zone and Washington worked the disc upwind to score. The Contrabears quickly scored the next downwind point to start the game on a 3-0 run.

Kansas State’s Cameron Hunter was finally able to break the Huckstables’ slump with a long throw to make the score 3-1. However, Winograd made a layout catch to bring the lead back to three at 4-1.

The battle of the big men opened up at this point, with K-State’s Chris Youderian pulling down a huck and getting the disc around Wash U’s Joe MacDonald for a score. The very next point Youderian came in as an in-cutter and helped the Huckstables work the disc upwind to get a break back. On the next pull Shriwise hustled down, got a footblock, and Kansas State worked the disc around to tie the score at four all.

The score was now knotted, but Winograd gave Washington’s answer with a huck right off the pull for an easy score. Kansas State, not to be out done, hucked the disc to Youderian in double coverage, and he came down in bounds to retie the game at five apiece. The Contrabears upped the ante and Winograd threw another huck, this time to MacDonald for a score.

The two teams traded points after that to half. Washington up, 7-6.

Washington pulled the disc to Kansas State to start the second half. After a few passes the Huckstables made a costly turnover near the end zone. Contra used that mistake to score a precious upwind point and took the lead, 8-6.

Kansas State put together a concerted attack on the next point, but after 30+ throws against Washington’s zone defense, the Huckstables had a throwing error and Washington scored on a quick in-cut by MacDonald. Kansas State scored easily on the next point to make it 9-7. The Huckstables then got a d and put together another upwind attack, but it was thwarted by Contra’s zone again. It seemed Kansas State had finally met a zone they could not break. Contra scored downwind.

“We had lots of problems with their zone,” said Kansas State captain Kyle Welch. “They were really good at stopping our offensive motion when we got around the cup.”

The two teams traded downwind points from here to the soft-capped end.

After the game both team’s captains shared their feelings about the game.

“It felt like we out-played them defensively, but we had too many drops,” Welch said. “And their zone, I don’t know what was different about it, it gave us trouble.”

“This year we had full confidence in our team. Confidence in our throwers. Confidence in our receivers. It paid off,” Lin said.